The Pickens sentinel. [volume] (Pickens, S.C.) 1871-1903, 1887-04-07

| of the United States at Rocky Mount.
(From the Sunday Ncws)
In 1902 John Draytou, then Governor
Of South Carolina, published small
work, now rather scarce, GA view oi
South Carolina as respects her natural
and civil concerns" In the first chap,
ter, under one of the heads, Cascades, >
he thus describes the Catawba Falls, at
the southeastern corner Of Chester
county:
"For quantity of water and grandeur
of appearance, perhaps the Catawba
Falls are the most interesting of any in
this State. They are situated little
above the Rocky Mount, and the ap-
proach to them is over the hills which
line the sides of the river. On either
side the rocks are piled up in Il wall of
many feet high, and hills rising above
them in sharp, conical SUBMITS, nod
over the rupture below. Now the
Catawba is arrested in its course, and
from width Of one hundred and eighty
yards this river is forced by the hills
and rocks on either side to shoot down
'thC gulph' in q channel of only sixty
five yards wide. Collecting its waters,
lmpetuous and noisy, it thundCrs down
the falls, tumblinG over mnSSy rocks
and fOaming from shore to shore, wheel
ing its large whirlpools and glancing
from rock to rock with maddcning fury,
not ceasing its troubled waves until it
has lcaped over twenty falls in the dis
tance OF two and Il half miles, and has
prccipitated from its height depth of
ninety feet. Here, below Rocky Mount,
1t begins to sllbsidc and spreads over Il
channel three hundred and eighteen
yards wide; but is not composed. For
miles below, rocks are scattered in its
way, at times irritating its waters and
provoking the rapidity Of its stream. -
DR.. David Ramsey 0S0Sy and Robert
Mills 1S2G) give similar descriptions Of
these falls, which arc connected with an
almost forgotten page of our history.
a committee OF the House OF Repre-
sentativcs of the Third Congress, "to
whom 50 much OF the Presidents speech
as relates to arms and military stores,
magazines and arsCnuls" was referred,
made their report March ), 1874. They
offered the following resolution: Gre
solved, that the President Of the United
States be authorized to direct two
arsenalS and magazines, 10 he erected in
proper situations, to accommodate the
Southern and Middle States, and that Il
sum not exceeding tifty-nine thousand
dollars be provided for that purpose"
December II, 1895, Timothy Picker
ing, secretary OF war, reported on The
measures which have been pursued to
obtain proper sites for arSrnuls. nC
says: "It having been determined tu
erect one arsenal on the Potomac and
another in South Carolina, the latter in
Il situation to and from which water
transportation would be afforded, and
the former i'll the vicinity of 1t number
Of iron works, the necessary orders were
given i'll the year G9I for exploring both
countries. "IhC engineer
employed for The purpose i'll South Car
Olina made Il report, which was received
earl y in the last summer. He had cX.
plorcd that part of the country to which
his attention had been directed by the
Executive. lie also examined another.
| The latter, independent Of its being in a
more healthful situation, WAS deemed by
him to possess some other advantages
over the former"
The engineer alluded to was most
probably "Coloncl John Christian Scnf,
engineer to the State, who ut that time
was digging the Santec Canal 1T92- 1900.
The second place referred to was prOba-
bly, Rocky Mount; the first place is not
known.
February =, 1902, Thomas Jefferson,
President, sent in Il short message, in
which, he says, "BcSides the permanent
magazines established at Springfield,
West Point, Harper's Ferry, it is
thought one should be established in
some point convenient for the States Of
North Carolina, South Carolina and
Georgia; such point will probably be
found near the border Of the Cnroinus,
and some small provision by the Lcgis-
lature preparatory to The establishment
will be necessary for the present year. j"
In January, 1903, Eli Whitney, "in-
ventor of the cOtton-gin," Was selected
to assist Colonel Semi in choosing the
site for the arsenal near Rocky Mount.
Whitney was at that time pressing his
claims before the North Carolina Lcgis-
lature. For expenses from Raleigh to
Rocky Mount, and fo1 professional ser
vices while there, he received the very
moderate fee Of fifty dollars. Colonel
Scnf, with the rank Of superintendent
Of the arsenal ut Rocky Mount" re-
ccivCd sixty dollars, "Ior making II plan
of the arsenal at Rocky Mount, and re-
port thereon, including his travelling cN-
penscs." During that year tlSO}J four
thousand dollars we're paid "0n account
Of expenditures in erecting the arsenal,
magazines, Nc., ut Rocky Mount, $. G."
During the 1903 the total amount cX-
pended at Rocky Mount was fourteen
thousand four hundred and fur'y-cight
dollars, being four times the amount
spent on the ''arscnal and magazine ut
West Point during those years. OF
this sum, three thousand one hundred
and thirty y-cight dollars were for the pur-
chase 0hrough "Ihoma8 Sumptcrj of
"tract of land in South Carolina for
an arsenal.
General lLcnry Dearborn, secretary OF
war under Jefferson, visited Rocky
Mount and laid the cornerstone Of the
main building. Robert Mills Statistics
of s. Coz states this fact, but does not
give the exact datc--which must have
been in 1903. The spot was known rs
Mount Dearborn for many years.
In 1908 committee Of Congress re
ported on II "systcm of great canals
along the Atlantic coast" In our State.
they say, "Ihe Santcc, or Catawba, is
.,,i1 4, ,,Dogippoll,,